When do you know that you need new shocks/struts?

 

whenever your car moans and creeks going around corners, exsesive body roll, that im on a boat feeling, riding on the bump stops with 4 people in the car (thats mostly springs though). you need new springs if you have been riding around for any time at all on bad struts\shocks, because it puts more strain on them.

thanks
anthony

 

mine are stock from 91

 

my magic 8 ball says you probably need new ones.

 

whenever your car moans and creeks going around corners, exsesive body roll, that im on a boat feeling, riding on the bump stops with 4 people in the car (thats mostly springs though). you need new springs if you have been riding around for any time at all on bad struts\shocks, because it puts more strain on them.

Don't see much truth in any of that. A broken shock might pop when cornering hard. Sway bars control the body roll. Boat feeling from the excessive bouncing, sure. Riding on the bump stops is all about the springs. The shocks/struts don't hold the car up at all. Bottoming out hitting bumps in the road can be from worn shocks though. It would take a long, long time to wear out springs if the shocks were bad.
If the car bounces too much on bumps, the shocks are leaking, or they are just old(91 shocks are old) replace them.

 

a good test is to have yourself and a buddy, press down on one corner of the car, and then just let go of it, if the car goes right back up to ride height, the shocks are usualy ok, if it bounces several times, then they are likely worn.

 

Or like mine, you press down and it stays down. Or if you grab the wheel well and lift and the car stays up. Thats when you know your sh*t's busted.

 

there is truth to all of that. i know form experience, because my car had/has these problems. having bad shocks and struts makes the spings work a lot harder, (more jounce and rebaounds) and the sway bars make a difference, but you should not have to rely on sway bars to keep all of the body roll out, only the excessive body roll form high speed cornering. and the worse the suspention is, the more the body twists (which causes the moaning/creaking/poping depending on the stress fractures) and the more likely to tweek the body with bad or broke suspention parts.

anyway, at least put new autozone springs on it with your new shocks/struts, because everything will last longer.

thanks
anthony

 

i would say so